After many years of just plodding along with the little bit of railway i have an opportunity has arisen to add a bit more. Although it wont be 'controlled' it should add some interest as we will now be able to see trains coming and going for another seven miles or so on the March line.

Unfortunately it's not just a case of making the lights light up. Currently trains are 'dialled' into the system at Black Bank. My system then starts to send 'call attention' if the block is clear and once acknowledged sends the 'is line clear' code for the dialled in train. This part of the system need to remain but the 'dialled in' information needs to be sent and stored when the train passes Manea. The 'bits' of information then need to be handed over through three block sections before handing into the old system. The initial stage of drawings have shown that ninety new relays need to be added plus six new uniselectors. To complicate things just a little i have the bespoke barrier indicator from Chettisham box. This indicates six AHB's. Some of these are only 20 chains apart so the strike in are starting to get a little complicated. There will be a facility to replace some of the auto signals to cause a bit of fun/logjam etc.

If there is any interest i'll update with photo's etc as the works progress over the winter. I am currently at the drawing and part acquisition stage. Space has been found for it all too.

Edit to add.. This photo pretty much covers the new section to be added..

I've been aware of this photo for some time but have just noticed the second signal on the up road looks like a three aspect and the one beyond seems to be showing a red. That isn't how thing's are shown on the scheme plan i have. Am i seeing thing's?

I believe i am looking at CA922R, formerly CH1R then CA922 formerly CH1. Next is CA920R/CH2R then CA920/CH2, the latter being a four aspect and everything else is two according to the scheme plan i have. It really does look like CA920R is showing a red and CA922 is a three aspect.

All signals two-aspect except Chettisham Up Second Home/Down Home and Down Distant which all show R/Y/G. All other signals show R/G, or Y/G if repeaters.

In the picture, it looks as if the train is approaching or passing Signal 2 (with Ely North having not pulled his distant), which gives the correct set of indications behind it as described by Graham above.

Such complicated goings on with some of these signals. One was converted Y/G to R/G and it's mate R/G to Y/G the former getting a new repeating distant and the latter becoming the repeating distant for a new auto signal. We suspect one was a distant for Furlong Drove then recontrolled to Black Bank then onto Chettisham and lastly onto Cambridge.

Richard Pike wrote:Such complicated goings on with some of these signals. One was converted Y/G to R/G and it's mate R/G to Y/G the former getting a new repeating distant and the latter becoming the repeating distant for a new auto signal. We suspect one was a distant for Furlong Drove then recontrolled to Black Bank then onto Chettisham and lastly onto Cambridge.

Not really "complicated" - Chettisham was a simple box with latterly just a Home and Distant on the Up before the 1988 changes. Signals 1 and 1R had perviously been Black Bank's Up IBS but were almost certainly new signals when Furlong Drive was abolished in 1967.

The diagram has arrived and been made to work. It seems there was a modification to E and F track circuits and some wiring had been recovered. This had to be restored to it's original form. The diagram has now been mounted on the rear wall in ENJ. Three of the six uniselectors are stripped as are around twenty of the required 90 odd PO 600 type relays. More circuits have been drawn but i'm no further on with working out how long each track should be alight for.